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Guest commentary: Pura Vida

By Priscilla Dann-Courtney

Posted:
04/07/2012 01:00:00 AM MDT

The color of the walls in our hotel room was a soft creamsicle, the ocean blue green matching my toes of a spring break pedicure. It had been a few years since we'd taken a March excursion, often opting for a stay-cation. But it was our daughter's last spring break before college so Costa Rica seemed like a lovely celebration with a reputation as the "greenest" country in the world, no army, mango and cantaloupe abound, monkeys, yoga and the beauty of surfing but no Internet. We weren't exactly roughing it like the Michigan school group on a service trip, but somehow staying at an all-inclusive resort could be giving back. As tourism is major for so many developing countries, I hoped our spending could provide something for such a small and peaceful place.

After a long travel day and a winding dark drive we checked in to our hotel where our orange bracelets became colorful handcuffs locking us in to the freedom of vacation. Our days were simple where "agua" became our tour guide speaking a universal language. Thirsty for relaxation, we swam in warm waters, drank after long walks on the beach where hot sand was cooled by ocean waves and we welcomed end of the day showers before sunset dinners. It was a mixture of cultures, from the Costa Rican jungle of monkeys and snakes to the resort of buffets and beach chairs, to the sometimes complicated family dynamics of me and my husband of 30 years and my daughter and her boyfriend of two.

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There were the folks we met a long the way like the Dutchman who taught us about his Canadian cranberry farm in Quebec, and Erica, a Costa Rican guide, who shared about her Colorado lover who died from leukemia. Some of the story may have gotten lost in translation, but sadness is always understood. We seemed the only family to enjoy the one tennis court, most avoiding the grip of a sauna and serious family competition. The sign on the beach read, "Please leave only footprints," which I took literally -- losing my flip-flops in the waves. Turning 55 while zip-lining through the jungle was a reminder we're never too old to fly.

But one of the best gifts was a conversation with our driver as we drove to the airport. We discussed the wild fires in the distance and he calmly explained there were no worries; Mother Nature would take care of it. Somehow we got on to the challenges of health care and once again he calmly smiled and said, "Pura Vida," which I had learned was something like "it is all okay." We had spent a week in a country that knew so much better how to get a long with one another and be at war with no one. Of course they face the challenges of any developing country, but the beauty and power of Costa Rica's inner peace is an invaluable exported commodity. So thank you for that gift, we as a country have so much to learn from you.

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